InDesign Script - Search and Replace

Question

all!

I'm a simply Graphic Designer who is looking for help to make a script to find some codes and hours and replace them for random values. thanks to any who can give me a hand. I now s**t about JS so I can't do it my self. Regards! (PS: Maybe we can arrange some payment)

Example: Page 1 has a text "1234-1234567890" and the hour is "11:22:33" Page 2 "0001-0147852300" and the hour is "10:11:11" and so

What I need to do is to 1st: Locate and replace the XXXX-XXXXXXXXXX numbers for random numbers with the same format (0001-0000000001). 2nd: Locate and replace the HH:MM:SS for random hours.

This is what I have 'till now.

\\d{4}-\\d{10} Regex to find the codes.

function getRandomInt(max) {
  return Math.floor(Math.random() * Math.floor(max));
}

The function to generate the random numbers.

getRandomInt(9999) + '-' + getRandomInt(9999999999)

Generates a random code. It isn't the best but it's fine.

And this, is an actual script which uses a TXT file to search and replace things, but it's useless unless I can place functions. :/ Maybe you can use it as example

---

//FindChangeByList.jsx
//An InDesign JavaScript
/*  
@@@BUILDINFO@@@ "FindChangeByList.jsx" 3.0.0 15 December 2009
*/
//Loads a series of tab-delimited strings from a text file, then performs a series
//of find/change operations based on the strings read from the file.
//
//The data file is tab-delimited, with carriage returns separating records.
//
//The format of each record in the file is:
//findType<tab>findProperties<tab>changeProperties<tab>findChangeOptions<tab>description
//
//Where:
//<tab> is a tab character
//findType is "text", "grep", or "glyph" (this sets the type of find/change operation to use).
//findProperties is a properties record (as text) of the find preferences.
//changeProperties is a properties record (as text) of the change preferences.
//findChangeOptions is a properties record (as text) of the find/change options.
//description is a description of the find/change operation
//
//Very simple example:
//text    {findWhat:"--"}    {changeTo:"^_"}    {includeFootnotes:true, includeMasterPages:true, includeHiddenLayers:true, wholeWord:false}    Find all double dashes and replace with an em dash.
//
//More complex example:
//text    {findWhat:"^9^9.^9^9"}    {appliedCharacterStyle:"price"}    {include footnotes:true, include master pages:true, include hidden layers:true, whole word:false}    Find $10.00 to $99.99 and apply the character style "price".
//
//All InDesign search metacharacters are allowed in the "findWhat" and "changeTo" properties for findTextPreferences and changeTextPreferences.
//
//If you enter backslashes in the findWhat property of the findGrepPreferences object, they must be "escaped"
//as shown in the example below:
//
//{findWhat:"\\s+"}
//
//For more on InDesign/InCopy scripting see the documentation included in the Scripting SDK 
//available at http://www.adobe.com/devnet/indesign/sdk.html
//or visit the InDesign Scripting User to User forum at http://www.adobeforums.com
//
main();
function main(){
    var myObject;
    //Make certain that user interaction (display of dialogs, etc.) is turned on.
    app.scriptPreferences.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevels.interactWithAll;
    if(app.documents.length > 0){
        if(app.selection.length > 0){
            switch(app.selection[0].constructor.name){
                case "InsertionPoint":
                case "Character":
                case "Word":
                case "TextStyleRange":
                case "Line":
                case "Paragraph":
                case "TextColumn":
                case "Text":
                case "Cell":
                case "Column":
                case "Row":
                case "Table":
                    myDisplayDialog();
                    break;
                default:
                    //Something was selected, but it wasn't a text object, so search the document.
                    myFindChangeByList(app.documents.item(0));
            }
        }
        else{
            //Nothing was selected, so simply search the document.
            myFindChangeByList(app.documents.item(0));
        }
    }
    else{
        alert("No documents are open. Please open a document and try again.");
    }
}
function myDisplayDialog(){
    var myObject;
    var myDialog = app.dialogs.add({name:"FindChangeByList"});
    with(myDialog.dialogColumns.add()){
        with(dialogRows.add()){
            with(dialogColumns.add()){
                staticTexts.add({staticLabel:"Search Range:"});
            }
            var myRangeButtons = radiobuttonGroups.add();
            with(myRangeButtons){
                radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Document", checkedState:true});
                radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Selected Story"});
                if(app.selection[0].contents != ""){
                    radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Selection", checkedState:true});
                }
            }            
        }
    }
    var myResult = myDialog.show();
    if(myResult == true){
        switch(myRangeButtons.selectedButton){
            case 0:
                myObject = app.documents.item(0);
                break;
            case 1:
                myObject = app.selection[0].parentStory;
                break;
            case 2:
                myObject = app.selection[0];
                break;
        }
        myDialog.destroy();
        myFindChangeByList(myObject);
    }
    else{
        myDialog.destroy();
    }
}
function myFindChangeByList(myObject){
    var myScriptFileName, myFindChangeFile, myFindChangeFileName, myScriptFile, myResult;
    var myFindChangeArray, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindLimit, myStory;
    var myStartCharacter, myEndCharacter;
    var myFindChangeFile = myFindFile("/FindChangeSupport/FindChangeList.txt")
    if(myFindChangeFile != null){
        myFindChangeFile = File(myFindChangeFile);
        var myResult = myFindChangeFile.open("r", undefined, undefined);
        if(myResult == true){
            //Loop through the find/change operations.
            do{
                myLine = myFindChangeFile.readln();
                //Ignore comment lines and blank lines.
                if((myLine.substring(0,4)=="text")||(myLine.substring(0,4)=="grep")||(myLine.substring(0,5)=="glyph")){
                    myFindChangeArray = myLine.split("\t");
                    //The first field in the line is the findType string.
                    myFindType = myFindChangeArray[0];
                    //The second field in the line is the FindPreferences string.
                    myFindPreferences = myFindChangeArray[1];
                    //The second field in the line is the ChangePreferences string.
                    myChangePreferences = myFindChangeArray[2];
                    //The fourth field is the range--used only by text find/change.
                    myFindChangeOptions = myFindChangeArray[3];
                    switch(myFindType){
                        case "text":
                            myFindText(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions);
                            break;
                        case "grep":
                            myFindGrep(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions);
                            break;
                        case "glyph":
                            myFindGlyph(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions);
                            break;
                    }
                }
            } while(myFindChangeFile.eof == false);
            myFindChangeFile.close();
        }
    }
}
function myFindText(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions){
    //Reset the find/change preferences before each search.
    app.changeTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    var myString = "app.findTextPreferences.properties = "+ myFindPreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.changeTextPreferences.properties = " + myChangePreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.findChangeTextOptions.properties = " + myFindChangeOptions + ";";
    app.doScript(myString, ScriptLanguage.javascript);
    myFoundItems = myObject.changeText();
    //Reset the find/change preferences after each search.
    app.changeTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
}
function myFindGrep(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions){
    //Reset the find/change grep preferences before each search.
    app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    var myString = "app.findGrepPreferences.properties = "+ myFindPreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.changeGrepPreferences.properties = " + myChangePreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.findChangeGrepOptions.properties = " + myFindChangeOptions + ";";
    app.doScript(myString, ScriptLanguage.javascript);
    var myFoundItems = myObject.changeGrep();
    //Reset the find/change grep preferences after each search.
    app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
}
function myFindGlyph(myObject, myFindPreferences, myChangePreferences, myFindChangeOptions){
    //Reset the find/change glyph preferences before each search.
    app.changeGlyphPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findGlyphPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    var myString = "app.findGlyphPreferences.properties = "+ myFindPreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.changeGlyphPreferences.properties = " + myChangePreferences + ";";
    myString += "app.findChangeGlyphOptions.properties = " + myFindChangeOptions + ";";
    app.doScript(myString, ScriptLanguage.javascript);
    var myFoundItems = myObject.changeGlyph();
    //Reset the find/change glyph preferences after each search.
    app.changeGlyphPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findGlyphPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
}
function myFindFile(myFilePath){
    var myScriptFile = myGetScriptPath();
    var myScriptFile = File(myScriptFile);
    var myScriptFolder = myScriptFile.path;
    myFilePath = myScriptFolder + myFilePath;
    if(File(myFilePath).exists == false){
        //Display a dialog.
        myFilePath = File.openDialog("Choose the file containing your find/change list");
    }
    return myFilePath;
}
function myGetScriptPath(){
    try{
        myFile = app.activeScript;
    }
    catch(myError){
        myFile = myError.fileName;
    }
    return myFile;
}

Answer 1

If you assign the random number generated to a variable containing a string, you can use:

//Clear the find/change text preferences.
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;

//Set the GREP find options (adjust to taste)
app.findChangeGrepOptions.includeFootnotes = false;
app.findChangeGrepOptions.includeHiddenLayers = false;
app.findChangeGrepOptions.includeLockedLayersForFind = false;
app.findChangeGrepOptions.includeLockedStoriesForFind = false;
app.findChangeGrepOptions.includeMasterPages = true;

//Look for the pattern and change to
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = "\d{4}-\d{10}";
app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = RandomNumberVariable;
myDocument.changeGrep();

//Clear the find/change text preferences.
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;

To change the codes.